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Well put Musket Man. It all comes down to individual needs. 400yds is about it for me as well. Oh I've been known to "go long" in the past,but I'm not as into that sort of thing as I was 25 years ago. The big hammers are being rotated out of the safe as well. As I get older,recoil is more noticeable. A session with the 300 Ultra or the T3 338 leaves me with a 3 day hangover and stiff neck. Good old Arthur Itis is making himself known to me. So,why punish myself and shorten my good years afield? I could very easily settle down with a good 270 Win. I've always been a fan of the round. My daughter is currently using my wife"s old 270 to take her venison every year. I lean a little more toward the 30/06 myself. Same basic list of credentials as the 270. The 06 isn't perfect for every circumstance either,but inside 400 yds it comes pretty close. As does the 270,280,308,7 Rem Mag, and a host of other proven chamberings. Unless you have a specific quarry that you feel requires a specific round. My thoughts are find the "Rifle" that you want to spend your time afield with. Brand,model,barrel length,weight.Then choose the chambering in that rifle that best fits your needs. If you're determined to have a .30 Slam-a-bam-a-Wow,and it's only offered in a rifle that is too heavy for your taste,and doesn't fit you well,it's a loosing proposition from the word go. Find a rifle that is an extension of your body,that you love to carry and shoot,it doesn't need to be a fire breathing monster to take game at reasonable yardages.

Well said my man! I love my Ruger M77 in 25-06 for everything deer sized and smaller. If I didn't have a muzzle brake on my .300 Wby, I'd be shooting my 30-06 on everything else. I do like the Wby because it is flatter shooting with a 180/200 gr bullet than the 30-06. I could get by with 2 rifles and be very happy. I'm over 70 now and the lighter rifles I have are sure a lot easier to carry and have recoil that I can live with.

Colorado Cowboy
Cowboy Action Shooter; Endowment Life Member-NRA
The Original Rocket Scientist-Retired
"My Father always considered a walk in the mountains as the equivalent of church going."
Aldous Huxley

No, it's not. I could post links all day long of elk that were killed at long range with a 6mm but it still doesn't make it a good choice.

I have to agree with this and I'm a .270 lover from way back. My thoughts in recommending what I did were that by the time the OP was competent enough to shoot at something 700 yards away that he would realize a light weight rifle was not the correct tool for the job. On an elk sized animal at long range (lets say over 400 yards for the sake of argument) I would want a minimum of .30 caliber and a heavy for caliber bullet, the rifle wouldn't be a light weight either.

Over 1500lbs of energy isn't enough to kill an elk? Not if you hit it in the ass it's not, but it sure is through the lungs. Then again, I don't think 700 yd shots should be taken by everybody who thinks they can do them.

Maybe using a caliber that won't work at 700 yds will make you a better hunter.

This thread isn't about whether or not a 270 will kill an elk. It's titled, "Best All Around Gun" and the OP wants enough punch to kill elk out to 700 yards. If you seriously think the 270 Win is it, then by all means keep suggesting it. But, I still couldn't disagree more. There are so many better options out there, it would be silly to settle on the 270 Win when that is your goal.